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President Obama recently designated Pullman and Honouliuli National Monuments as the next sites to be managed by the National Park Service. Send a message to the president thanking him for preserving our American heritage through these sites.

The Park Service proposed budget for next year makes a much-needed investment in our country's most treasured natural and historical places. Urge your members of Congress to support the requested funding increase for national parks in Fiscal Year 2016.

The U.S. EPA is currently accepting comments on its proposed standards for ozone pollution. Tell the EPA it must lower ozone pollution to the level its science advisors say is necessary to fully protect human health and our environment.

Restore a Nation

1: Restoration is defined as re-establishing self-sustaining habitats and building resilience to support native species now and in the future.

2: Restoration is more important than ever given that wildfires and floods are on the increase; coastal wetlands are shrinking; and wildlife are under increasing stress as changing temperatures make their traditional homes unsustainable.

3: This ecological challenge threatens to become an economic challenge for countless communities, since national parks directly:

Support $13.3 billion in private sector activity

Maintain 267,000 jobs

Provide $4.8 billion in wages

NPCA has joined the Outdoor Industry Association and 75 outdoor businesses in calling on Congress to protect public lands from climate change impacts and fund restoration projects to create American jobs. To view the text of the letter to Congress, please click here.

Re·store·á·Nation1: the economic benefits of restoring the lands and waters of our national parks2: investments to protect economies and create American jobs on American lands

This report demonstrates the importance of investing in ecological restoration projects in and around our national parks. A changing climate can mean increased wildfires, droughts, and floods; decreased coastal wetland habit, and amplified stress for wildlife as existing habitats become unsuitable for sustaining their populations. But by addressing and attempting to alleviate the impacts of climate change, we enhance our economy and our job outlook. There is evidence of a direct correlation between restoring ecosystems and sustained economic growth.

What does it mean to “restore” a river, a national park, or for that matter, a nation?

National parks are not only a source of inspiration and recreation, they are a community anchor. They create jobs and support families in cities and towns across the country and they can be harnessed to restore our public lands and our nation.

The report also includes the findings of a recent study that found conserving or restoring land instead of using it for industrial development is correlated with sustained economic growth.

Economic Performance in Park Gateway RegionsFigure 1: Gateway counties—those adjacent to national parks, public lands, and wilderness areas—outperform the nation as a whole in job growth, personal income growth, and population growth.

It also found that ecosystem restoration projects have shown impressive economic returns, some approaching 80 percent.

Re·store·á·Nation concludes that taking action now and investing in work that helps lands and animals respond to the earth’s changing climate—work that restores our ecosystems and essential habitats—will benefit not only wildlife and our national parks, but American communities.